1. What’s it like for a person to live without forgiveness?
a. For the person that’s not spiritually connected to God through His Son Jesus Christ?
b. For some of us, it’s been so long that we don’t even remember… the issues on the hearts of those who don’t know Jesus personally, intimately.
Maybe you don’t remember the horrible GUILT you carried.
• No one & nothing could remove the knowledge of your own guilt before others and before God.
• It was painfully obvious even as your life was filled with stuff, there was still the twinges of your conscience: Guilty.
You don’t remember the sorrowful EMPTINESS of your life.
• Life filled with stuff? Sure, but it didn’t seem to satisfy.
• Relationships after relationship just didn’t fill you.
• All the money in the world didn’t satisfy you.
• Drugs, Alcohol, all of it just masked it, but it came back!
You don’t remember the lasting LONELINESS that surrounded you.
• Oh, the isolation of it all. Why am I hear? What is my purpose?
• I learned in school we were all animals. If I’m just an animal, then will I ever feel loved for who I am?
• Why on the planet with billions of people do I feel so alone?
You don’t remember the tremendous FEAR you lived with.
• What fear? Fear of death. Is there life after death?
• Are those Christians right? What if I have it all wrong?
• Where will I go after I die?
NOTE: Those my friend, are the conditions of the unsaved heart.
• You can remember them by remembering this is the person trusting in SELF and not in Jesus. S-E-L-F
• Sense of Guilt -- Emptiness of Life
• Loneliness -- Fear of Death
APP: Keep these in mind as you face the difficulties of sharing the gospel with that co-worker, that boss, that sibling.
• These things, and others, are on their hearts.
• They know, but have a hard time admitting it.
• And when u add the crushing blow of consequences from their ongoing sin, it’s amazing that they’re even standing today!
Living a life without Jesus Christ is NOT a BLESSED LIFE.
• Sometimes you’ll hear people speak of how blessed their life is because of business success, or some sports success, or something else that is great in their lives.
• But the reality is that without Jesus & the forgiveness of their sins, they aren’t living a blessed life at all, but 1 that is doomed.
YOU KNOW Something else, I’ve learned over the years as a believer and as a pastor is that these same things can rush back into a Christians life through the open doors of sin!
• That’s where David is when he writes Psalm 32.
• David’s sin with Bathsheba was more than sin, it was a willful transgression against the Lord. It crushed him!
• His life of blessings sadly interrupted because of his sin!
• But Psalm 32 isn’t a psalm of sadness but Joy!
• David repented, turned to the Lord regained that blessedness!
BLESSED… “OH HOW HAPPY” is the man who’s sin is covered.
• That’s what David received, a covering, ‘KAPHAR’
Romans 3:25 (NKJV) whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
But in Jesus, Paul picks up in v6 of Romans 4 and says, not just covered but taken away…
• And in it’s place, the God’s righteousness IMPUTED to our acct!
• Remember, Paul is using a practical example dear to the hearts of those Jews listening in. What about Abraham?
• Did He perfectly obey the Law? NO.
• Was He saved any differently than we are? NO.
• Did he have anything to boast about? NO.
• Was He a blessed man apart from works? YES!
I. (4:6-8) David Agrees.
1. (6-8) David speaks of this blessedness.
a. Blessed are those who’s sins are forgiven!
b. OH HOW HAPPY I am in God’s forgiveness.
c. I know what I’ve done. I know the pain I’ve caused.
d. But I’m truly sorry, with a deep godly sorrow.
e. And God has forgiven me! The guilt is gone!
f. Listen to this in the NLT:
Romans 4:6-8 (NLT) King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared to be righteous: "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."
• Do you have that blessedness? That Joy?
NOTE: I know that there are many Christians today that are continually living under the shadow of shame for what they have done in the past… sometimes before Christ others after.
• Your sin is ever before you and it’s coloring you whole life.
• Your mind is controlled with thoughts like:
• I can’t believe I did this! What was I thinking!
• But friends, why can’t you believe that?
• The Bible says the ‘flesh profits nothing’.
• That ‘in our flesh no good thing dwells’.
• What do you expect? Well Ed, I expect to be perfect!
• You won’t be… you won’t be perfect.
• You will never be everything you ought to be, could be, should be might be, this side of heaven.
• But I want to be! AMEN, so do I!
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Psalm 84:7 (NKJV) They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.
APP: When you and I fail, we don’t lose our Jesus.
• He doesn’t throw up his hands & say, oh forget it Ed.
• He doesn’t leave me. He doesn’t forsake me.
• I don’t’ stop being a son, an heir, an adopted accepted man in the beloved!
• “You have not committed a sin that I cannot forgive”, God says.
• When you’re born again, God doesn’t undue that.
• You’ve been born again of an imperishable seed!
• Flip over to Psalm 51, David’s prayer of repentance! It’s sweet!
1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here’s what’s happening… sin isn’t so sweet anymore as a believer.
• It doesn’t taste good to me anymore. I don’t’ want it. It’s bitter and doesn’t help me. It hurts and hinders, distracts & destroys.
• So I rest in the joy that is mine in forgiveness!
• I’m forgiven. I don’t deserve it. I deserve something far worse.
• Flip over to Psalm 103:6-13
Psalm 103.6-13 (NLT) The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. 9 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. 10 He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. 11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. 12 He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. 14 For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust.
Before we move on… let’s look quickly at a few other ingredients in living a blessed life.
• Psalm 1:1-2 – Lives his life carefully.
• Psalm 40:4 – Who makes the Lord His trust!
• Psalm 84:12 – Trusts in You.
• Psalm 89:15 – Who know the Joyful sound!
• Psalm 119:1-2 – Undefiled in the way
• Psalm 128:1 - Who fears the Lord!
• Turn over to Matthew 5:3-12
NOTE: There is joy in the Lord and we get to experience it and move on away from our past and into His glorious future!
II. (4:9-12) Justified Before Circumcision
2. (9-12) Abraham’s life is the pattern.
a. God blessed Abraham before he did anything.
b. Especially before he was circumcised.
c. He was accepted before any religious act of service.
NOTE: This is the way God works. God accepts us just as we are.
• We come to the cross as we are & God accepts us right there.
• Then the work of His Spirit begins to cut away those things that do not please Him and do not help us!
FOR ABRAHAM, notice, the work of circumcision came after he was saved, not before.
• Good works don’t obtain or maintain salvation.
• I don’t think I can repeat that enough for us.
• It’s not circumcision for us is it? It’s baptism OR communion OR giving OR reading OR church attendance…
NOTE: The Bibles says to believe, not work.
Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
We’re to WORK OUT…
• Is he telling us to WORK FOR our salvation? Well NO.
• It’s NOT work FOR, work ON, or work THROUGH your salvation…
• He says WORK it OUT.
• Literally it’s is a mining term. You own the mine and inside is tons of silver and gold… now go work it out.
IMPORTANT because this is a verse that is many times taken out of context… many use it to say, SEE, you’ve GOTTA WORK FOR YOUR SALVATION – and work hard.
• But we have to look at the context, the surrounding truths.
• I am a Christian because… Jesus died for me and forgave me.
• YET… Salvation requires exercise… Strengthen it, build upon it.
• The key is found at the beginning of v12… OBEY.
• God never demands your achievement or success… He’s supremely interested though in our obedience.
• The way to victory & joy & peace is to do the things the Lord is telling you to do.
1. (PHIL 2:13) FOR IT IS GOD God is working in You
NOTE: Sometimes I think we forget that it IS God. We so easily forget how God is working! It’s God. He’s working in you guys!
• And His plans for you are much larger than where you are now.
• He loves you. He is madly in love with you.
• He created you and put you on this planet with a work that ONLY YOU can uniquely accomplish.
• You’re not alone and you’re not on your own.
• God reminds us that we’re in this together!
The word WORK is the word ENERGIO… it means to work for someone and help them. We get our word energy from it.
• He’s working to accomplish things in your life.
• All the load and pressure is off of you. He’s at work inside you.
• We don’t always know God’s will & don’t always do it, but we can take courage that He’s going to show us.
NOTE: All of the pains & setbacks and sufferings in this world come because this world is fallen… far from God.
• Don’t beat yourself up because you’re not living up to some standard. Because you see yourself falling short.
• God made you to enjoy fellowship with Him. The work is gone and over and what’s left? Jesus…
SO God’s working in us TO WILL & TO DO
• Those are 2 things that we struggle with everyday of the week.
• To have the WILL and DESIRE to follow God and then go out and do it. It’s a major struggle for the maturing Christian.
FIRST TO WILL…
• He’s giving us new desires, new wants, new wishes in life.
• Maybe once you wanted to be millionaire… NOW you want to be a millionaire to help further the gospel of Jesus.
• Maybe once you wanted to be a teacher… NOW you want to be an ambassador for Jesus as you teach in the public schools.
• Maybe once you wanted to be famous… NOW you just want to use any success in life to glorify Jesus Christ.
• GOD IS WORKING IN YOU TO WILL…
• He’s working in you giving you desires to follow Him.
AND God’s working in you TO DO for His good pleasure!
• Not only is he giving you new desires… but He’s giving what’s needed to follow through! To do them with all your might!
WHY ALL THE WORK? WHY THE NEEDED COOPERATION?
• For the pleasure of His will accomplished here on earth.
• In that great model prayer, Jesus taught us to pray…
Matthew 6.10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
